Legend LeMond joins Eurosport as global cycling ambassador

Cycling legend Greg LeMond will be joining Eurosport’s on-air 2014 line-up to provide live on-site analysis at Paris-Roubaix, Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France across the channel’s 54 European markets in an exclusive preview and review show entitled 'LeMond on Tour'.

He will also feature in a new monthly show 'LeMond of Cycling' which broadcasts its first episode on Wednesday April 9 previewing and reviewing the Grand Tour races of 2014.

LeMond won his most famous Tour de France victory exactly 25 years ago in 1989, the same year Eurosport was launched bringing added resonance to the company’s 25th anniversary activities, in which he will play a part as a channel ambassador.

The American joins Eurosport’s other global ambassadors already working with its lead sports, such as seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander in tennis, 100m Olympic Champion Maurice Greene in athletics and triple Olympic swimming champion Pieter van den Hoogenband and Didier Cuche, Alpine Skiing World Champion.

The great Ronnie O'Sullivan has also signed up as global snooker ambassador while Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is on board as Yahoo's global football ambassador, making the Eurosport-Yahoo website the only place you can access his views on the World Cup this summer.

An outspoken and passionate supporter of the sport he loves, LeMond has not shared his racing knowledge widely on live television in the past, making his analysis a fascinating prospect for Eurosport viewers and cycling fans.

He will also be in a unique position to represent the change in cycling broadcasting since his racing career and how the sport has widened its popularity through improved TV production and analysis in the past 25 years.

LeMond said: “It feels like the right time to get back into the heart of cycling again and for me there was only one place I could really do that and it was with Eurosport. I have always spoken my mind and feel now the sport is in a better place so the timing is perfect.

"I love the connection I have with the fans in Europe and can’t wait to join them for the season’s biggest races with the Eurosport team. I can’t believe it was 25 years ago I won Le Tour by such a tiny margin. 1989 was a great year for cycling and it’s very special for me to know that it was the same year Eurosport first broadcast the race.”

Arnaud Simon, Eurosport Group’s TV content director said: “It is a great story that Greg was the very first Tour de France winner to be broadcast live on Eurosport back in 1989 and now we welcome him to the Eurosport family as we celebrate our own 25th anniversary year. He is an iconic figure in cycling and joins a very illustrious list of former champions in our dream-team of experts. It demonstrates Eurosport is always looking for innovative ways to enhance our programming and give our subscribers even deeper understanding of the sports they love.”

Stefano Bernabino, Eurosport’s head of cycling said: “We are very proud to welcome Greg to Eurosport, the Home of Cycling. He is a cycling legend who has left one of the most significant and long-standing impressions on the development of his sport. The best all-rounder in recent decades, mixing climbing ability with time trialing and an innate vision for race strategy Greg LeMond has been a true champion on and off his bike.

"He has been a pioneer in technological research and equipment development and has an inspiring insight and clear values on cycling and sporting culture. His incomparable racing experience, charisma and vision of his sport will enrich our already comprehensive cycling coverage.”

Having won the junior road race World Championships in 1979 LeMond found success with his accomplished racing style when he secured the senior World Championships in 1983. This was followed one year later by winning the White Jersey for best young rider in his debut Tour de France in 1984 demonstrating his all-round ability in sprinting, climbing and time-trialling.

Two years later he fought the entire peloton in the Tour de France, and arguably his own team-mate in Bernard Hinault, for his first Grand Tour win in 1986.

After suffering a near-fatal shooting accident in 1987 he returned to take his second Tour de France title in 1989 - famously by the smallest ever winning margin of eight seconds from French favourite Laurent Fignon in the final time-trial stage.

He then became one of only five riders to complete the Tour de France - World Road Race Championship double in the same year winning the WCH’s in Chambery, France. In 1990 he won his final Tour de France and eventually retired in 1994.